# Publishing an asset

## Introduction

Publishing an asset involves recording its description on-chain and generating the associated smart contracts. Once this information is stored, the asset description is indexed and cached within the OE node’s indexer database, enabling users to easily discover, access, and utilize the asset.

<mark style="color:$info;background-color:$info;">**Note**</mark><mark style="color:$info;background-color:$info;">: In OE, an asset can have multiple services associated, as outlined</mark> <mark style="color:red;background-color:$info;">here</mark><mark style="color:$info;background-color:$info;">. During the publishing process, the asset’s initial service is automatically created. To add additional services, simply edit the asset after publication.</mark>

### What happens when an asset is published

When an asset is published, the following actions occur:

1. The asset smart contracts (data NFT, data token)  are created on-chain. The price is saved in the Fixed Rate Exchange contract.
2. The location of the service files of the asset  is encrypted
3. Asset's DDO is created in the form of a Verifiable Credential, in JWT format, encrypted, and saved in IPFS
4. The state of the asset and of the first service of the asset are set to "Active", meaning they are consumable
5. The Content ID of the file is saved on-chain

## Precondition

The user has logged in to the marketplace.

## Steps

1\. Press the Publish button from the main page.  The Asset Publishing flow has started.

<figure><img src="/files/j5omjZDM4wB6sB6qV9mo" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.oceanenterprise.io/user-guides/using-the-oe-marketplace/publishing-an-asset.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
